A+E Interactive » David Bowiehttp://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei
Bay Area Arts and Entertainment BlogMon, 30 Mar 2015 12:40:46 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1Roundup: Uncharted 2 on big screen, David Bowie in Lego Rock Band, DJ Hero and Tony set listhttp://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/2009/10/06/roundup-uncharted-2-on-big-screen-david-bowie-in-lego-rock-band-dj-hero-and-tony-set-list/
http://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/2009/10/06/roundup-uncharted-2-on-big-screen-david-bowie-in-lego-rock-band-dj-hero-and-tony-set-list/#commentsWed, 07 Oct 2009 02:29:55 +0000Gieson Cachohttp://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/?p=16737
There’s no rest for the weary. Coming off vacation, I wasn’t off the plane for two hours before I had to go to two events. The first was an Uncharted 2: Among Thieves tournament held at the Landmark Embarcadero theater… Continue Reading →]]>
There's no rest for the weary. Coming off vacation, I wasn't off the plane for two hours before I had to go to two events. The first was anUncharted 2: Among Thieves tournament held at the Landmark Embarcadero theater in San Francisco. The second was a Bioshock 2 hands-on event with the single-player and multiplayer modes. And even though I still had the mud from the Austin City Limits Festival stuck to my shoes, I had a great time at both happenings.
Amy Hennig, Naughty Dog's creative director, was on hand for the multiplayer tournament which was held on a never-played-before map called Sanctuary. It takes place in the Himalayas and gamers will be playing the map when the game comes out next week. But for those who were at the event and got to see the game in the glorious big screen, they got their copy of Uncharted 2 a little early. The winner of the multiplayer tournament got to take home ">Fortune Hunter edition. Lucky them. The PlayStation blog has more info here.
As for the Bioshock 2 event, look for a preview on Oct. 29.
LEGO ROCK BAND: OK, so this is supposed to be Rock Band for the younger set, but strangely enough, it'll feature artists that aren't exactly household names to little Billy and Lucy. David Bowie, who I remember from the movieLabyrinth, will make an appearance in the game. The rocker will be joining another legend Iggy Pop in Lego Rock Band.
ACTIVISION TRACK LIST: The Santa Monica-based video game company seems to be headed for a huge holiday season with DJ Hero, Tony Hawk Ride and Call of Duty: Modern Combat 2. To whet fan's appetites, they released the track list for two of its games.
Here's DJ Hero's93 songs:
2Pac - “All Eyez On Me” vs. The Aranbee Pop Orchestra - “Bittersweet Symphony (Instrumental)”
50 Cent - “Disco Inferno” vs. David Bowie - “Let’s Dance”
50 Cent - “Disco Inferno” vs. InDeep - “Last Night A DJ Saved My Life”
Afrika Bambaataa - “Zulu Nation Throwdown” vs. Freedom Express - “Get Down”
Beastie Boys - “Here’s A Little Somethin’ For Ya” vs. DJ Shadow - “The Number Song (2009 Version)” (Produced and mixed by DJ Shadow)
Beastie Boys - “Intergalactic” vs. Blondie - “Rapture”
Beastie Boys - “Lee Majors Come Again” vs. Daft Punk - “Da Funk” (Produced and mixed by Cut Chemist)
Beck - “Where It’s At” vs. DJ Shadow - “Six Days (Remix ft. Mos Def)”
Bell Biv DeVoe - “Poison” Beat Juggle
Bell Biv DeVoe - “Poison” vs. Beastie Boys - “Intergalactic”? (Produced and mixed by DJ AM)
Bell Biv DeVoe - “Poison” vs. Cameo - “Word Up!”
Benny Benassi - “Satisfaction” vs. Ti?sto - “Elements Of Life”
Billy Squier - “The Big Beat” vs. N.E.R.D. - “Lapdance” (DJ-Guitar mix)
Black Eyed Peas - “Boom Boom Pow” vs. Benny Benassi - “Satisfaction”
Bobby “Blue” Bland - “Ain’t No Love In The Heart Of The City” vs. 2Pac - “How Do You Want It”
Bobby “Blue” Bland - “Ain’t No Love In The Heart Of The City” vs. Connie Price & The Keystones - “Fuzz And Them”
Boogie Down Productions - “Jack Of Spades” vs. David Bowie - “Let’s Dance” (Produced and mixed by DJ Shadow)
Chuck Brown & The Soul Searchers - “Bustin’ Loose” vs. The Zombies - “Time Of The Season” (Produced and mixed by DJ Shadow)
Chuck Brown & The Soul Searchers - “Bustin’ Loose” vs. Young MC - “Bust A Move”
Common - “Universal Mind Control (U.M.C.)” vs. Masta Ace - “Jeep A** Gutter (Aaron LaCrate & Debonair Samir RMX)” (Produced and mixed by The Scratch Perverts)
Cypress Hill - “Insane In The Brain” vs. Classics IV - “Spooky”
Cypress Hill - “Insane In The Brain” vs. David Axelrod - “The Edge”
Daft Punk - “Around The World” vs. Young MC - “Bust A Move”
Daft Punk - “Da Funk” vs. N.A.S.A. - “Strange Enough ft. Karen O, ODB & Fatlip”
Daft Punk - “Megamix 1”
Daft Punk - “Megamix 2”
Daft Punk - “Robot Rock” vs. Hashim - “Al Naafyish (The Soul)” (Produced and mixed by The Scratch Perverts)
Daft Punk - “Robot Rock” vs. Queen - “We Will Rock You”
Daft Punk - “Short Circuit” vs. Boogie Down Productions - “Jack Of Spades”
Daft Punk - “Technologic” vs. Gary Numan - “Cars”
Daft Punk - “Television Rules the Nation” vs. No Doubt - “Hella Good”
David Axelrod - “The Edge” vs. Eric B. & Rakim - “Eric B. Is President”
Dizzee Rascal - “Fix Up, Look Sharp” vs. DJ Shadow - “Organ Donor (Extended Overhaul)”
Dizzee Rascal - “Fix Up, Look Sharp” vs. Justice - “Genesis”
DJ Shadow - “Six Days (Remix ft. Mos Def)” vs. D-Code - “Annie’s Horn”
Eminem - “My Name Is” vs. Beck - “Loser”
Fedde Le Grand - “Put Your Hands Up For Detroit” vs. Sandy Rivera and David Penn - “I Can’t Stop (David Penn Remix)”
Foo Fighters - “Monkey Wrench” vs. Beastie Boys - “Sabotage” (DJ-Guitar mix)
Foreigner - “Juke Box Hero” vs. DJ Z-Trip ft. Murs - “DJ Hero” (Produced and mixed by DJ Z-Trip)
Foreigner - “Juke Box Hero” vs. DJ Z-Trip ft. Murs - “DJ Hero” (DJ-Guitar mix, produced and mixed by DJ Z-Trip)
Gang Starr - “Just To Get A Rep” vs. Mobb Deep - “Shook Ones, Pt 2” (Produced and mixed by J. Period)
Gorillaz - “Feel Good Inc.” vs. Blondie - “Atomic”
Grandmaster Flash’s - “Boom” vs. “Tap” (Produced and mixed by Grandmaster Flash)
Grandmaster Flash, DJ Kool, DJ Demo - “Here Comes My DJ” vs. Gary Numan - “Cars” (Produced and mixed by Grandmaster Flash)
Gwen Stefani - “Hollaback Girl” vs. Gorillaz - “Feel Good Inc.”
Gwen Stefani - “Hollaback Girl” vs. InDeep “Last Night A DJ Saved My Life” (Produced and mixed by DJ AM)
Gwen Stefani - “Hollaback Girl” vs. Rick James - “Give It To Me”
Herbie Hancock - “Rockit” Beat Juggle
Herbie Hancock - “Rockit” vs. N.E.R.D. - “Lapdance” (Produced and mixed by Grandmaster Flash)
InDeep - “Last Night A DJ Saved My Life” vs. Cameo - “Word Up!”
Jackson 5 - “I Want You Back” vs. Gang Starr - “Just To Get A Rep” (Produced and mixed by DJ Yoda)
Jackson 5 - “I Want You Back” vs. Third Eye Blind - “Semi-Charmed Life” (DJ-Guitar mix)
Jackson 5 - “I Want You Back” vs. Third Eye Blind - “Semi-Charmed Life”
JAY-Z feat. Pharrell - “Change Clothes” vs. 2Pac - “All Eyez on Me”
JAY-Z - “Izzo (H.O.V.A.)” vs. Eminem - “My Name Is”
JAY-Z - “Izzo (H.O.V.A.)” vs. Jackson 5 - “I Want You Back”
JAY-Z - “Excuse Me Miss” vs. Rick James - “Give It To Me”
Jean Knight - “Mr. Big Stuff” vs. Masta Ace - “Born To Roll”
Jurassic 5 - “Jayou” vs. Billy Squier - “The Big Beat”
Jurassic 5 - “Jayou” vs. Herbie Hancock - “Rockit”
Kid Cudi - “Day ‘N’ Nite” vs. Black Eyed Peas - “Boom Boom Pow”
Kool Moe Dee - “How Ya Like Me Now” vs. Reel 2 Real featuring The Mad Stuntman - “I Like To Move It”
Little Richard - “Tutti Frutti” vs. Shlomo - “Beats” (Produced and mixed by DJ Yoda)
M.I.A. - “Paper Planes” vs. Eric B. & Rakim - “Eric B. Is President” (Produced and mixed by The Scratch Perverts)
M.I.A. - “Paper Planes” vs. Wale - “Lookin’ At Me”
Marvin Gaye - “I Heard It Through The Grapevine” vs. David Bowie - “Let’s Dance”
Marvin Gaye - “I Heard It Through The Grapevine” vs. Gorillaz - “Feel Good Inc.”
Motorhead - “Ace Of Spades” vs. Noisia - “Groundhog” (DJ-Guitar mix)
N.A.S.A. - “Strange Enough ft. Karen O, ODB & Fatlip” vs. Isaac Hayes - “Theme From Shaft”
Noisia - “Groundhog” Beat Juggle (Produced and mixed by The Scratch Perverts)
Paul van Dyk - “Nothing But You” vs. Sandy Rivera and David Penn - “I Can’t Stop (David Penn Remix)”
Public Enemy - “Shut ‘Em Down” vs. Beck - “Where It’s At”
Public Enemy ft. Zakk Wylde - “Bring The Noise 20XX” vs. Justice - “Genesis” (Produced and mixed by DJ Z-Trip)
Public Enemy featuring Zakk Wylde - “Bring The Noise 20XX” (DJ-Guitar mix)
Q-Tip - “Good Thang” vs. Billy Squier - “The Big Beat” (Produced and mixed by J. Period)
Queen - “Another One Bites The Dust” vs. Beastie Boys - “Brass Monkey” (Produced and mixed by DJ Z-Trip)
Queen - “Another One Bites The Dust” vs. Daft Punk - “Da Funk”
Rihanna - “Disturbia” vs. Kid Sister - “Control”
Rihanna - “Disturbia” vs. The Killers - “Somebody Told Me” (DJ-Guitar mix)
Rihanna - “Disturbia” vs. The Trammps - “Disco Inferno”
Shlomo - “Beats” vs. Billy Squier - “The Big Beat”
Street Sweeper Social Club - “Fight! Smash! Win!” vs. Beastie Boys - “Intergalactic” (DJ-Guitar mix)
Tears For Fears - “Shout” vs. DJ Shadow - “Six Days (Remix ft. Mos Def)”
Tears For Fears - “Shout” vs. Eric B. & Rakim - “Eric B. Is President” (Produced and mixed by DJ Jazzy Jeff)
Tears For Fears - “Shout” vs. Eric Prydz - “Pjanoo”
The Aranbee Pop Orchestra - “Bittersweet Symphony (Instrumental)” vs. LL Cool J - “Rock The Bells” (Produced and mixed by DJ Jazzy Jeff)
The Scratch Perverts Beats and Pieces (Produced and mixed by The Scratch Perverts)
The Killers - “Somebody Told Me” vs. Eric Prydz - “Pjanoo”
Vanilla Ice - “Ice Ice Baby” vs. MC Hammer - “U Can’t Touch This”
Vanilla Ice - “Ice Ice Baby” vs. Paula Abdul - “Straight Up”
Wale - “Lookin’ At Me” vs. Black Eyed Peas ft. Tippa Irie - “Hey Mama”
Weezer - “Beverly Hills” vs. Evidence, The Alchemist, Aceyalone, Rakaa & 88 Keys - “Fresh Rhymes And Videotape” (DJ-Guitar mix)
Wild Cherry - “Play That Funky Music” vs. Gang Starr - “Just To Get A Rep” (DJ-Guitar mix)
Here's the Tony Hawk Ride list:
Adam Tensta – “My Cool”
Band of Skulls – “Patterns”
Beatsteaks – “Run Run”
Beck – “Gamma Ray”
Bill Withers – “Lovely Day”
The Black Keys – “I Got Mine”
The Bronx – “Minutes in Night”
Chevelle – “Jars”
Children Collide – “Social Currency”
Coconut Records – “West Coast”
The Commodores – “Machine Gun”
Darker My Love – “Two Ways Out”
Dead End Road – “Sin City”
Disbelievers – “Bad Storm”
The Duke Spirit – “Into The Fold”
The Faint – “The Geeks Were Right”
The Fold – “Neverender”
Gray Matter – “Fill A Void”
Green Day – “Murder City”
Half Astro – “Cellular”
Helen Earth Band – “Shake N Cut”
Kenny Rogers & First Edition – “Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)”
Kram – “Blitzkreig Bop”
KRS-One w/ Buckshot – “Robot “
Living With Lions – “She's A Hack”
The Meters – “Cissy Strut“
MGMT – “Electric Feel”
Modey Lemon – “Become A Monk”
Modest Mouse – “Satellite Skin”
Morning After Girls – “Death Processions”
Murs feat. will.i.am – “Lookin’ Fly”
Nico Vega – “Burn Burn”
Nitzer Ebb – “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang”
NOFX – “Just the Flu”
Norma Jean – “Robots 3 Humans 0”
Patchwork – “Ping Pong”
The Pinkertones – “Electrobumbao”
Queens of Stone Age – “The Lost Art of Keeping A Secret”
The Raconteurs – “Consoler of the Lonely”
The Replacements –“Takin’ A Ride”
Revolution Mother – “Night Ride”
Rose Hill Drive – “Showdown”
Russian Circles – “Death Rides A Horse”
Santigold – “L.E.S. Artistes”
Shiny Toy Guns – “Ricochet”
Spinnerette – “All Babes Are Wolves”
The Stooges – “I Got A Right”
Superchunk – “Punch Me Harder”
The Temper Trap – “Hearts”
This Drama – “She Had A Knife”
TSOL – “Dance With Me”
Turbotito – “Losing Their Head”
TV On The Radio – “Dancing Choose”
We Are Scientists – “After Hours”
Willowz – “Ulcer Soul”
Wolfmother – “Joker & The Thief”
Yeah Yeah Yeahs – “Zero“]]>http://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/2009/10/06/roundup-uncharted-2-on-big-screen-david-bowie-in-lego-rock-band-dj-hero-and-tony-set-list/feed/17Uncharted 2Outside Lands: The making of a festivalhttp://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/2008/08/19/outside-lands-the-making-of-a-festival/
http://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/2008/08/19/outside-lands-the-making-of-a-festival/#commentsWed, 20 Aug 2008 06:54:11 +0000Jim Harringtonhttp://www.ibabuzz.com/concerts/?p=747
Think of it as Bonnaroo by the Bay. Much like the huge annual Bonnaroo rock concert, which has been held each June since 2002 in Manchester, Tenn., the Outside Lands Music & Arts Festival, Friday through Aug. 24, will be… Continue Reading →]]>
Think of it as Bonnaroo by the Bay.
Much like the huge annual Bonnaroo rock concert, which has been held each June since 2002 in Manchester, Tenn., the Outside Lands Music & Arts Festival, Friday through Aug. 24, will be mammoth, drawing nearly 70 bands and as many as 180,000 ticket-holders to Golden Gate Park.
"I believe that this will be the largest multiday, ticketed event in the history of San Francisco," says Gregg Perloff of Berkeley's Another Planet Entertainment (APE), one of the promoters of Outside Lands. "We have people coming to this festival from all over the United States and the world."
The inaugural festival will be, by far, the biggest musical event to hit Northern California this year. It will also rank as one of the largest rock festivals in the United States, right up there with SoCal's famed Coachella, the Austin City Limits Festival and, again, Bonnaroo.
The comparisons to Bonnaroo are inescapable, due not only to the size and magnitude of Outside Lands, but also because of the promotion team. Another Planet has partnered with Starr Hill Presents and Superfly Productions, two of the co-founders behind Bonnaroo.
You want another comparison? Let's go back in time a little. "The large event that this reminds us of is the US Festival," says Sherry Wasserman, who established Another Planet with Perloff in 2003.
That's an interesting comparison, given that Perloff, one of the most accomplished concert producers in the business, booked the talent for that legendary SoCal music festival in 1982-83. The staggering lineup included David Bowie, Ozzy Osbourne, Hank Williams Jr., Gang of Four, the Police, the Ramones and the Talking Heads, among many others.
The lineup Perloff helped put together for Outside Lands, by the way, stacks up very nicely to the two US bills. The headliners are Radiohead (Friday), Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers (Saturday) and Jack Johnson (Aug. 24); and the main support acts include such fan favorites as Beck, Wilco, Widespread Panic and Manu Chao. There are also many lesser-known bands and several local acts, which will perform on six stages spread across three fields (Polo Field, Speedway and Lindley meadows).
Perloff is proud of the bill his team put together. Indeed, he says that you could take away the three headliners and fans would still be left with an amazing festival.
"That's how deep this lineup is," he remarks. "I've never done a show like that before."
How is that a young, independent outfit like APE ended up co-hosting the biggest and most important concert of the year in Northern California? By any measure, it's a pretty grand endeavor for an organization celebrating its fifth anniversary.
Those familiar with Perloff and Wasserman, however, probably aren't surprised. The pair learned the ropes under the guidance of that most legendary of all promoters, Bill Graham, and they were involved in scores of Graham's big Bay Area bashes over the years. After the famed rock impresario's death in 1991, Perloff ran Bill Graham Presents (BGP), with Wasserman at his side as senior vice president.
In July 2003, Perloff and Wasserman left BGP, which had been sold to the mega-conglomerate Clear Channel (still the current owner), and a few days later launched APE. The new outfit immediately bit off more than many thought it could chew, announcing that its first show would be Bruce Springsteen at what was then called Pac Bell Park. The show was a big success.
"We're not sure how we did it," admits Wasserman, a Berkeley resident.
"We had no offices. We had no bank account," Perloff remarks. "Still, we were able to accomplish an awful lot in just a few weeks." The company, which merged with local promoter Allen Scott's Mystery Machine Productions in 2004, has gone on to host blockbuster concerts by the Dave Matthews Band, Kanye West and hundreds of other major artists. With Outside Lands, however, the organization now faces its greatest challenge to date.
"To produce a concert of this magnitude is not like putting on a free show or going into the Greek (Theatre)," says Perloff, a Lafayette resident. "It's not just 'Oh, let's book Tom Petty.' There are so many things that go into something like this."
That lengthy list, Perloff says, has included meetings with every single governing department for the city of San Francisco, dealing with transportation, safety and other concerns. APE began planning the festival roughly three years ago, and to help pull it all together, partnered with the Bonnaroo vets Starr Hill, which also co-owns the Vegoose music festival in Las Vegas; and Superfly, which got its start programming evening entertainment during the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.
Superfly was eager to work with Perloff and Wasserman and help host a major festival in San Francisco.
"We've always felt that it was one of the great music cities," says Rick Farman, who co-founded Superfly in 1996. "We felt that this was a town that would embrace a festival." The goal from the start was to create something that was more than just a music festival, one that would also feature elements that carry a distinct Bay Area signature. To that end, Outside Lands will boast a food and wine area that spotlights local restaurants and vineyards, as well as a showcase for technology.
"Through Bonnaroo, we've learned how to create something that people have a real connection to â€” we are hoping we can accomplish the same thing here," Farman says.]]>http://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/2008/08/19/outside-lands-the-making-of-a-festival/feed/5RadioheadWilcoWidespread PanicRobert Plant, Alison Krauss part of long line of pop-music “odd couples”http://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/2008/06/26/639/
http://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/2008/06/26/639/#commentsThu, 26 Jun 2008 09:18:06 +0000Jim Harringtonhttp://www.ibabuzz.com/concerts/?p=639
(In honor of the Plant/Krauss show, Shay Quillen of the Mercury News and I cooked up this cool feature on other odd couples in pop music history:) While Englishman Robert Plant was finishing his reign with the biggest, baddest rock… Continue Reading →]]>(In honor of the Plant/Krauss show, Shay Quillen of the Mercury News and I cooked up this cool feature on other odd couples in pop music history:)
While Englishman Robert Plant was finishing his reign with the biggest, baddest rock band on the planet, a preteen Alison Krauss was hitting fiddle contests in Illinois.
Who would have dreamed a quarter-century later, the once (and future?) Led Zeppelin frontman would team up with that kid, now a sweet-singing bluegrass star?
The combo could have clashed, but instead ""Raising Sand'' -- helmed by ""O Brother'' musical maestro T Bone Burnett -- turned out to be a masterpiece of moody Americana, landing on multiple year-end Top 10 lists and going platinum. The subsequent tour, which hits the Greek Theatre in Berkeley on June 27, has done boffo business and earned rave reviews from Belgium to Bonnaroo.
But for every musical Reese's cup, there's another oddball pairing that jibes like sugar and soup. So let's take a moment now to look back at some previous musical mismatches -- good, bad and utterly ridiculous.
Jimi Hendrix hits the road with the Monkees, 1967Call it: Opening act gets the funniest looks from everyone he meets.
The skinny: The Prefab Four had loads of hits but yearned for credibility, while Hendrix had wowed the hipsters at Monterey but was unknown to the country at large. Could they help each other? Nope. In the few shows before the experiment was scuttled by mutual consent, prepubescent girls held their ears and screamed â€œWe want Davey!'â€ as Hendrix served up â€œPurple Hazeâ€ and "Foxey Lady.''
Aftermath: The Hendrix camp concocted a priceless story that the Daughters of the American Revolution had had Jimi kicked off the tour for being ""too erotic.'' He proceeded to blow the world's mind for the last three years of his life. The Monkees' 15 minutes fizzled out the following year, though maracas-playing cutiepie Davey Jones made a memorable guest appearance on â€œThe Brady Bunch'' a few years later.
Bing Crosby and David Bowie sing ""Little Drummer Boy,'' 1977Call it: Mr. ""White Christmas'' meets ""The Thin White Duke.''
The skinny: Bowie, like others of his generation, grew up listening to Crosby. Der Bingle, like most of his generation, had reportedly never heard of the hot young pop star prior to 1977. That did not stop the classic crooner from agreeing to have the flamboyant rocker, then best known for playing androgynous space alien Ziggy Stardust, on his yearly Christmas special. Bing even agreed to sing with Bowie, which resulted in the stunningly surreal duet of â€œPeace On Earth/Little Drummer Boy.''
The aftermath: The performance aired on CBS during the holiday season of '77, roughly a month after Crosby died of a heart attack on Oct. 14, and it made a lasting impact on viewers. Some 23 years later, TV Guide chose the duet as one of the 25 best televised musical moments. The medley would be officially released as a single in 1982 and it's been a part of the regular holiday rotation at shopping centers ever since.
Aerosmith and Run-D.M.C. record ""Walk This Way,'' 1986Call it: The ultimate musical win-win.
The skinny: Aerosmith's career was colder than a Boston winter. Run-D.M.C. was the biggest fish in the hip-hop pond, a body of water then looked upon with suspicion, even hostility, by most rock fans. Maverick producer Rick Rubin might have been the only person on the planet who would have thought of combining the two on a decade-old Aerosmith hit.
The aftermath: The resulting smash helped make Run-D.M.C. rap's first crossover superstars, and Aerosmith went from drug-addled has-beens to bigger stars than they'd been the first time around. More significantly, the song (and its video) helped obliterate the wall between rock and hip-hop, paving the way for a generation that doesn't think twice about jumping from Weezer to Kanye West on their iPods.
Metallica jams with the San Francisco Symphony, 1999Call it: A type of ""S&M'' that could only happen in the Bay Area
The skinny: By most reports, composer Michael Kamen had been trying to get the speed-metal titans to work with a symphony orchestra for years. His persistence finally paid off, and Metallica joined forces with the San Francisco Symphony for two shows, April 21-22, 1999, at the Berkeley Community Theatre. The huge ensemble, under the direction of conductor Kamen, performed symphonic rock versions of ""Enter Sandman,'' ""Master of Puppets'' and other Metallica favorites.
The aftermath: The shows were recorded and released as an album and a DVD, both titled â€œS&M.'' The two-CD set did very well on the Billboard 200, topping out at No. 2, and received warm reviews in Rolling Stone and other periodicals. It would also snare a Grammy, in the category of Best Rock Instrumental. The success of â€œS&M'' would lead other rockers to similar ventures. So, you can thank (or blame) Metallica for "Kiss Symphony: Alive IV'' and "Ian Anderson Plays the Orchestral Jethro Tull.''
Elton John joins Eminem, 2001Call it: Sir Elton makes a ""Shady'' union
The skinny: It was strange enough to hear Eminem sample pop-queen Dido on the single â€œStan.'' Yet, what Slim Shady would do as a follow-up was even more bizarre. During his controversial performance at the 2001 Grammy Awards â€¦ which fell amid protests from those who perceived the rapper's rhymes to be homophobic â€¦ Eminem took the stage with one of the best-known supporters of gay and lesbian causes, Elton John. The unlikely pair sang "Stan,'' with John handling the Dido lines.
The aftermath: This Grammy performance benefitted both entertainers. The fact that the openly gay John would associate with Eminem helped quiet the rapper's many detractors in the gay community. In turn, John, despite not having recorded anything worth listening to in years, got to share in the biggest moment of the music industry's biggest night. In retrospect, however, this collaboration can now be seen as when rap/rock unions "jumped the shark'' and became decidedly unhip.
Nelly and Tim McGraw sing ""Over and Over,'' 2004Call it: Hip-hop + country = zzzzzzzz
The skinny: From jazz to bluegrass to rock 'n' roll, America's best music comes from the intersection of black and white musical traditions. So on paper, anyway, a pairing of the "Hot in Herre'' rapper with the "I Like It, I Love It'' crooner sounded intriguing. Too bad the result was the bland bit of background music that featured McGraw singing the hook over and over and over and over. (Say what you will about Big & Rich, but at least their â€œhick-hopâ€debut that same year wasn't boring.)
The aftermath: It became a big pop hit, though country radio ignored it. McGraw's career continued apace â€¦ plus he gets to share a bed with Faith Hill, so what does he care? Nelly is still working on a follow-up album, but he gets to share a bed with Ashanti, so what does he care?
Willie Nelson and Wynton Marsalis, 2007Call it: Country legend jams with jazz royaltyThe skinny: Nelson is a road warrior who will seemingly play any venue with a stage. Yet, most fans would never expect to see the country singer on a jazz bill at Lincoln Center in New York City. The Lone Star State legend crossed that one off his list in early 2007 when he joined New Orleans-born trumpeter Marsalis for two concerts. The two stars found common ground in such blues and jazz standards as "Georgia on My Mind'' and "Stardust.'' The whole thing worked so well that jazz label Blue Note is releasing the CD "Two Men With the Blues,'' which documents the summit.
The aftermath: The album will hit shelves July 8 and it's sure to please both longtime Nelson fans and Marsalis admirers. Yet, it seems commercial enough that the general public (especially the Starbucks crowd) might bite as well. Also, it's just the type of cross-genre star-studded effort that Grammy voters tend to embrace; thus we can easily see the album taking home some gold come trophy time. Will this record spawn a trend? Could a Toby Keith-Pat Metheny outing be right around the corner? Doubtful.]]>http://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/2008/06/26/639/feed/10Robert Plant Alison KraussmonkeesDavid Bowie Bing CrosbyAerosmith Run DMCmetallica symphonyEminem Elton JohnTim McGraw Nellywynton marsalis willie nelsonThe 10 greatest concert films of all timehttp://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/2008/04/23/the-10-greatest-concert-films-of-all-time/
http://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/2008/04/23/the-10-greatest-concert-films-of-all-time/#commentsWed, 23 Apr 2008 07:40:14 +0000Jim Harringtonhttp://www.ibabuzz.com/concerts/2008/04/23/the-10-greatest-concert-films-of-all-time/
People love going to concerts. Going to concert films, however, is a different thing altogether. In the 40-year history of the modern concert film _ which, for our purposes, letâ€™s say started with 1968â€™s â€œMonterey Popâ€ _ there have been… Continue Reading →]]>
People love going to concerts. Going to concert films, however, is a different thing altogether.
In the 40-year history of the modern concert film _ which, for our purposes, letâ€™s say started with 1968â€™s â€œMonterey Popâ€ _ there have been many disappointing offerings, an endless amount of mediocrity and relatively few true keepers.
Yet, directors keep right on making these films, trying (usually in vain) to translate the magic of the concert-going experience to the big screen. Itâ€™s still only April but thereâ€™s already been three ballyhooed concert films released this year _ â€œU2 3D,â€ â€œHannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concertâ€ and the recent Rolling Stones offering, â€œShine a Light.â€
Thus, Iâ€™ve decided to look back at the best concert films in history.
Iâ€™ve established some strict guidelines to narrow down the field. To be eligible, the film may only document a single event _ i.e., a concert, a multi-night run or a festival. That means that three of this criticâ€™s favorite music movies _ Phishâ€™s â€œBittersweet Motel,â€ Neil Youngâ€™s â€œYear of the Horseâ€ and the Stonesâ€™ â€œGimme Shelterâ€ _ were not considered, since they document entire tours. Also, a film had to play on the big screen, which cuts out all those straight-to-DVD titles.
What follows are our picks for the 10 docs that rocked the hardest (with this yearâ€™s offerings excluded from the list). Iâ€™d love to hear about your favorites as well, so please post your picks on my blog.
Top 10 concert films:
1, â€œStop Making Senseâ€ (1984)
Most concert films are intended for the pre-existing fan base. Itâ€™s rare that one will actually create a legion of new fans for the featured artist _ but thatâ€™s exactly what happened with director Jonathan Demmeâ€™s documentary on the Talking Heads.
â€œStop Making Senseâ€ is filmed in a way that makes the viewer feel as if he or she is witnessing a private performance. Demme avoids audience scenes and amplified applause, while favoring lengthy camera shots over MTV-style quick cuts. That unblinking focus heightens the sense of band interaction and creates palpable tension in the songs.
The film was shot in late 1983, right as theatrical vocalist David Byrne and his crew were at the height of their powers. Thatâ€™s one thing Demme had in his favor. Yet, the ingenious way the film was organized _ beginning with Byrneâ€™s solo performance of â€œPsycho Killerâ€ and then slowly building, as band members join the stage one-by-one to create increasingly rich and complex music _ was what truly earned â€œStop Making Senseâ€ the top spot on our list.
2, â€œAwesome, I . . . Shot That!â€ (2006)
By 2006, the standard concert film methodology was feeling pretty stale and we desperately needed something new to come along and shake things up. Enter the Beastie Boys, who provided a big shot in the arm to the tired genre with a film that definitely warranted the use of â€œAwesome.â€
What makes this movie so special is how well it fits the current cultural climate, where so many people get their main source of entertainment through the Internet. The film comes across like dozens of YouTube videos stitched together, but the overall feel is as cohesive of an artistic statement as youâ€™ll find in the genre.
Only the Beasties would think to hand out 50 camcorders to their fans and let them run wild during a sold-out concert at New Yorkâ€™s Madison Square Garden in 2004. The cameras were returned at the end of the gig and then director Nathaniel Hornblower (the Beastiesâ€™ Adam â€œMCAâ€ Yauch) edited the miles of footage into a thoroughly entertaining 90-minute end product.
Whatâ€™s missing in terms of precise cinematography (as the fans often lose focus on whatâ€™s happening onstage) is more than made up for by the filmâ€™s fascinating swirl of different perspectives, all of which combine to give the viewer an amazingly accurate sense of what it actually feels like to attend a concert.
3, â€œZiggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars: The Motion Pictureâ€ (1973)
D.A. Pennebaker is the greatest rock documentarian in film histor. His finest hour (or, really, 90 minutes) came with this feature focusing on David Bowieâ€™s most famous alter-ego.
The concert fell on July 3, 1973 at Londonâ€™s Hammersmith Odeon, the last date of a mammoth 60-night tour that would cement Bowieâ€™s place among rockâ€™s true immortals. It was also the night when popâ€™s ultimate chameleon would retire his sci-fi-inspired Ziggy Stardust persona.
Stardust, however, would go out on a high note as the rock alien and his band (known as the Spiders from Mars) delivered inspired versions of such favorites as â€œChanges,â€ â€œSuffragette Cityâ€ and â€œSpace Oddity.â€ Sideman Mick Ronson was in true guitar-hero form on this evening, but it was hard to pay attention to his riffs when Bowie/Stardust was such a thoroughly captivating presence. Has any musician ever inhabited a character more fully than Bowie wearing Stardust? Watch this movie before you answer.
4, â€œThe Last Waltzâ€ (1978)
Often labeled as the greatest rock movie in history, this Martin Scorsese-directed feature documents the Bandâ€™s swan song on Thanksgiving Day 1976 at the old Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco.
The film features some truly fine performances and interesting behind-the-scenes interviews, but itâ€™s clearly not without some problems. For one, the bevy of guest performers, which included Van Morrison, Eric Clapton and Muddy Waters, turns out to be a mixed blessing. These stars deliver some of the best moments of the film, but they also distract the viewer from focusing on the Band members. Also, Scorsese favors his old roommate Robbie Robertson in the interviews at the expense of input from others in the group.
Yet, those are just minor quibbles. In all, â€œThe Last Waltzâ€ is a richly romantic and endearing masterpiece, one that served as a fitting farewell to one of the greatest rock bands of the time.
5, â€œThe Grateful Dead Movieâ€ (1977)
Although its members might have claimed otherwise, the Grateful Dead was so much more than just a band. It was a way of life, a calling and, practically, a religion for some of the most â€œDead-icatedâ€ followers.
â€œThe Grateful Dead Movie,â€ to a greater extent than any other single document, captures the essence of the colorful, chaotic scene that revolved around the band for so many decades. Through interview segments and crowd footage, the viewer gets a real sense of what makes these fans (known as â€œDeadheadsâ€) tick and why they are so committed to the group.
The film was co-directed by the Deadâ€™s own Jerry Garcia and recorded during a five-night stand at Winterland, coming at the end of the groupâ€™s 1974 tour. It features some inspired jams, a particularly mesmerizing version of â€œMorning Dewâ€ and the coolest animation segment (the â€œU.S. Bluesâ€ opener) in rock doc history.
6, â€œRock the Bellsâ€ (2007)
The story is told from the perspective of the concert promoter, which, we realize, makes it sound about as promising as a new reality show on VH1. It addresses all of the many things that go into mounting a large-scale concert _ and this one, the first annual â€œRock the Bellsâ€ festival in Southern California, took more than most.
Back in 2004, independent promoter Chang Weisberg is handed an opportunity he simply canâ€™t refuse _ to try and present a full-fledged Wu-Tang Clan reunion show. Booking Wu-Tang, one of the most popular acts in hip-hop history, means huge ticket sales. The downside is that the Clan is infamous for not showing up for gigs. If that happened at this festival, the fans could riot and the promoter _ who mortgaged his house to put on the concert _ would lose everything.
Thus this fascinating musical odyssey begins, as Weisberg and his crew try to coral the Clan to the venue, while dealing with hundreds of other details (like ticketing, promotion, etc.) Directors Denis Henry Hennelly and Casey Suchan do an excellent job spinning the storyline, quickly creating a sense of impending doom that gives each scene a sense of dire urgency.
7, â€œMonterey Popâ€ (1968)
This is the better of the two most widely celebrated rock festival documentaries (the other, of course, being â€œWoodstockâ€).
All NorCal bias aside, â€œMontereyâ€ just features so many legendary performances _ Jimi Hendrix burning his guitar at the end of â€œWild Thing,â€ the Who smashing up their instruments onstage and, best of all, Otis Redding outshining all the other stars on â€œIâ€™ve Been Loving You Too Long.â€
Plus, these performances are masterfully recorded by Pennebaker. The director, who had already made his name with the Bob Dylan doc â€œDonâ€™t Look Back,â€ uses a light-handed â€œcinema veriteâ€ style to great impact here. He avoids voice-over narration, staged interviews and other such techniques and simply lets the story unfold through the songs.
8, â€œFade to Blackâ€ (2004)
A film that gets better with repeated viewings, â€œFade to Blackâ€ is one of the most insightful looks inside big-time hip-hop. The feature documents Jay-Zâ€™s sold-out Madison Square Garden show of November 2003, which was billed as the starâ€™s final gig before taking an early retirement from the rap game. In other words, Jay-Z _ ever the showman _ had staged his own â€œLast Waltz.â€
The concert features several sensational performances, from Jay as well as such musical associates as Beyonce and Mary J. Blige, but some of the filmâ€™s best moments come offstage. The segment in the studio, where Jay strives to find the right beat for a song, is both fun and fascinating.
9, â€œThe Song Remains the Sameâ€ (1976)
While far from a perfect film, â€œThe Song Remains the Sameâ€ still serves as a powerful document of this mighty live act. It was recorded during a three-night stand at Madison Square Garden in 1973, back when Led Zep was arguably the biggest band on the planet, and featured the foursome carving up major metal on â€œDazed and Confused,â€ â€œHeartbreakerâ€ and other favorites.
The non-concert footage drags the whole package down a bit, but the performances onstage are all pretty phenomenal. The concert footage is enough to make one understand why Led Zep _ nearly 30 years removed from its last studio offering _ remains so popular today.
10, â€œJimi Plays Berkeleyâ€ (1971)
This flick, recorded during two performances on May 30, 1970 at the Berkeley Community Theater, is a midnight-movie/college-circuit classic. It was shot for cheap and it looks the part.
Why pick this one over Pennebakerâ€™s more celebrated â€œThe Jimi Hendrix Experience: Live at Montereyâ€ documentary? For one thing, â€œBerkeleyâ€ provides some really interesting (and incredibly rare) behind-the-scenes footage, including during the limo drive to the venue and at sound check. It also captures one heck of a night for the ultimate guitar god _ who would die just months later _ as he leads his wrecking crew through such classics as â€œMachine Gunâ€ and â€œPurple Haze.â€]]>http://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/2008/04/23/the-10-greatest-concert-films-of-all-time/feed/32talking headsBeastie BoysDavid Bowielast waltzGrateful DeadWu Tang ClanJimi Hendrixjay-zLed Zeppelinjimi hendrix